


can we try this for real?

by yallbitter



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Bending (Avatar TV), Awkward Dates, Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Gay Zuko (Avatar), Jet (Avatar) Is An Asshole, M/M, Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, waiter!sokka, wow tagging takes a while
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:55:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26044579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yallbitter/pseuds/yallbitter
Summary: "If I was able to see past a pretty face;" Zuko mused to himself, "I wouldn't be here right now."But he was here.On a date with the biggest asshole he'd ever met.Thank fuck for hot waiters who know how to read a room...
Relationships: Jet/Zuko (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 17
Kudos: 412





	can we try this for real?

"If I was able to see past a pretty face;" Zuko mused to himself, "I wouldn't be here right now."

He'd been so shocked that someone was even slightly interested in him that he hadn't hesitated to say yes to dinner, and despite the warnings from friends like Ty Lee, he didn't want to call off the date.

Surely this Jet guy wasn't as big of a dickhead they kept saying he was, right?

Wrong.

He was worse. He talked about himself constantly, and when he did let Zuko get a word in edgewise it was through invasive, and, honestly, rude questions. Who asks someone who you KNOW is gay, who YOU YOURSELF are currently on a date with if "that scar gets you plenty of ladies?"

As Jet kept going on about something or another, Zuko slowly sunk lower and lower into his chair. He considered texting Mai, to ask her to come and give him a reason to leave, but Zuko had been raised to feel that pulling out your phone mid-conversation was about one of the worst things you could do. And so he used that theatre major and kept his face interested, while zoning out of the conversation.

Half an hour became and hour, and before Zuko fully realised, 2 hours had gone past. He was beginning to despair that he'd never get to leave.

"How is he STILL talking?" Zuko wondered to himself. It felt like the guy had had practically nothing to say, but that nothing sure used plenty of words. He was considering faking an injury when he noticed the waiter who just clocked in walk over.

Zuko hadn't had time to look at him properly when they first noticed him in the back of the kitchen, but now...

Whoa.

This guy was a _masterpiece_. Why was he wasting away in a coffee shop when he should have been gracing the pages of all those magazines Zuko had hidden under his mattress in his youth? 

He was tall, taller than Zuko, and broad. Wide, muscular shoulders and medium brown skin were complemented by a half-shaved updo and tattoos that wound all around his massive biceps.

His name tag read 'Sokka', and Zuko's heart skipped a beat when he noticed the way his pecs stretched the material of the light blue polo and black apron that 'Southern Waves' demanded it's employees wear. 

Zuko had never been happier about uniforms.

And then Hot Waiter ("Sokka." He reminded himself) did something very, very unexpected.

"You bastard! You lying, cheating bastard! You've got some nerve bringing your side guy here to MY job! We're done, Scarface. For real this time!"

He threw his notepad on the table in front on Zuko and stormed away. 

Bewildered, Zuko looked at the paper and saw a note.

This guy seems like an ass. If you want out of the date, follow like you want to make it work.

Zuko looked up at Jet, who was still laughing at the 'Scarface' comment, and back at the hastily written, barely legible note in his hand. He made a choice.

"Babe! Babe, wait, come on-He doesn't mean anything, I'll change, I promise..."

Once he was out of the store, he met Sokka behind a bin.

"You good?" He asked, his grin infectious and so, so handsome, all white teeth and plush lips.

"Umm.... Yeah, thank you." He rubbed nervously at the back of his neck. "Really, thanks. He was driving me nuts."

"Good thing I came along then, huh?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I guess it was." Zuko was thoughtful, and blushing like an idiot. He may have told himself about a hundred times that he was no longer accepting dates from almost-strangers, but it didn't count if HE asked, did it?

"Would you.... would you like to, I don't know, go out for coffee sometime? My uncle has a great tea place, if you're interested?"

That same wide grin lit up Sokka's face.

"Thought you'd never ask. Although, I should check- You aren't really a lying, cheating bastard, are you?"

This time, Zuko laughed.

"No, I'm definitely not."

"Awesome. I've got to finish my shift but...."

Sokka pulled out his phone and handed it to him.

"Put your number in, yeah?"

As Zuko typed, he watched Jet get up and leave, shamelessly flirting with tall blonde as he walked out.

Huh.

Guess he wasn't missing much, then.

As Sokka said goodbye and walked back in, Zuko smiled at the text- a string of random emojis.

If real Sokka was a passionate as acting Sokka, Zuko had a feeling that he might have finally found something _real._


End file.
